Spain train crash: funeral attendees mourn 45 fatal victims and demand the truth

The funeral mass honouring the 45 victims of the Adamuz train crash took place on 29 January at the Carolina Marín sports centre in Huelva - the province mourning the highest number of fatalities.

It was a religious ceremony, attended by 336 relatives who rejected the state funeral planned for 30 January. The mourners firmly stated that they would only attend a funeral "in God's presence".

The funeral did not take place in Huelva Cathedral because even the main church of the province could not accommodate the 5,000 people who attended, including some visibly injured passengers.

Despite the change of venue, the ceremony had a religious character, as the victims' families had requested, with the aim of removing all political nuances from the tragedy.

The bishop of Huelva, Santiago Gómez Sierra, officiated the mass, while bishop emeritus José Vilaplana read the names of the 45 people killed.

Monsignor Gómez Sierra read a message from the pope and told the attendees that "God does not disapprove" of their mourning.

While the grief of the mourners was the main focus, the ceremony was fraught with political tension due to the absence of several principal figures of authority, including prime minister Pedro Sánchez.

One of the strongest voices at the funeral ceremony was that of the daughter of Nati de la Torre, one of the 45 victims.

Accompanied by her brother, Liliana Sáenz spoke on behalf of all the grieving families, saying that the two trains were not just full of victims but of "virtues and flaws, triumphs and defeats, longings and silence". "They were carriages full of hope," she said.

Sáenz noted that the clocks of 45 families stopped at 7.45pm on 18 January. After the crash, they waited for news at the civic centre where, "with the slow advance of the hours", they realised they would return home without their loved ones.

"The 45 on the train," Sáenz continued, "were part of a society so polarised that it began to crack a long time ago and we were not realising it." Her message was a clear jab at politicians.

"Only the truth will help us heal this wound," she added, calling for justice. Symbolically, all mourners and injured passengers joined her in asking: why did the Iryo train derail?

Sáenz thanked the church authorities for organising the only tribute the families wanted. The affected families had strongly opposed the state funeral organised by Sánchez and the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno. Consequently, the central and regional governments have decided to postpone the secular state ceremony.

While the well-received King and Queen of Spain spoke to the victims' families, PM Pedro Sánchez did not attend, likely due to the sensitive nature of the accident's aftermath. Minister of Transport Óscar Puente could also not attend, as he had to appear before the Senado (Spain's higher house) to give an account of the tragedy.

On the same day, President of the Madrid Regional Government Isabel Ayuso held a local funeral, which further increased political tension. Ayuso's ceremony has been seen by some as more of a political spotlight move, overshadowed by the official ceremony in Huelva.

The mass was presided over by the King and Queen, who spoke to the victims' families for an hour. The funeral attendees welcomed the royal couple's presence and gestures.

Three months ago, Felipe VI and Letizia Ortiz also offered their condolences to the relatives of the victims of the Valencia 'dana' tragedy. On that day, Sánchez did attend and so did President of the Valencian Regional Government Carlos Mazón. The latter, however, resigned a few days later, forced by the resounding protest against his office.

Leader of the PP party Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Juanma Moreno also attended the funeral mass on Thursday. First Deputy Prime Minister María Jesús Montero represented the central government, but she avoided direct contact with the victims' families beyond greeting them.